


Life's But a Walking Shadow

by FanniAlak



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), POV Regulus Black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanniAlak/pseuds/FanniAlak
Summary: Justice for the most underrated Slytherin ever.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Other(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. 1971

**Author's Note:**

> Themes such as child abuse, alcohol, violence and discrimination are quite a big part of this story – not in every chapter, and I'll put chapter-specific content warnings at the beginning of each chapter, but just a heads up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius goes to Hogwarts, Regulus stays home with his parents. A brief summary of the year 1971 from Regulus's perspective, with a few flashbacks into his childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: mentions of child abuse and violent behaviour (nothing graphic)

_Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck;  
And yet methinks I have Astronomy,   
But not to tell of good or evil luck,   
Of plagues, of dearths, of seasons' quality;   
Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,   
Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,   
Or say with princes if it shall go well – –  
_

***

Wednesday, 1st of September, 1971

Regulus watched as his brother approached the red train, dragging his mahogany trunk behind him. He was wearing tailor-made black robes, his dark hair flowing down all the way to his shoulders. He turned around and smiled at Regulus one last time before stepping in and disappearing into the crowd of happily chatting students. 

Regulus kept staring at the doorway until his mother forced him to move. "Come on, Regulus", she hissed: "You'll see him at Christmas." 

They left the platform, Regulus and his parents, and Apparated back to Islington. 

He wouldn't admit it, but he knew he'd get bored without his brother around. Sirius drove him mad most of the time, but at least their arguments were a great way to pass time. And they had their good moments, too. It was going to be a long year.

***

The next morning an owl arrived from Hogwarts, followed by complete chaos at 12 Grimmauld Place. 

Regulus's mother gasped for air as she read the letter. Regulus thought she might faint. 

"Walburga?" his father lifted his gaze from the newspaper: "Walburga! What has he done?!" He eyed the red wax seal on the envelope. Walburga Black shook her head furiously and handed the piece of parchment to her husband. His reaction was no less dramatic than hers: he inhaled sharply and banged his fist to the table. Regulus watched them warily, then cleared his throat. 

"What does it say?" he asked nonchalantly, trying to hide his curiosity. It was obviously about Sirius, but Regulus knew better than to infuriate his parents. 

"Your wanton brother", Walburga's voice was shaky from anger, "didn't get sorted into Slytherin..." Regulus's eyes grew wide. Sure, Sirius had always been a bit reckless, but Regulus always thought he'd still be placed into Slytherin. He was bound to, just like the rest of their family, for as long as they knew. 

"Go to your room, Regulus", his father commanded: "At once." 

Regulus nodded, then got up and quickly left the room, only to stand behind the door and eavesdrop. 

Walburga waited until she thought he was gone. 

"Orion!" she spat out: "How is this possible?! We must contact Dumbledore immediately... this is unheard-of! There must be a mistake, never in the history of–" 

"Now, now, Walburga", Orion tried to sound calm, but there were notes of terror in his voice: "This is of course truly embarrassing... But we know that Sirius has always been reckless and hasn't truly shown loyalty to his family–" 

"He is a disgrace to our legacy!" she nearly screamed: "That boy is no good for our reputation!" 

Regulus got into the stairs just in time; his mother pushed the door open and stormed into the study, most likely to write a very long, very angry letter to Albus Dumbledore. 

***

Over the next few weeks, Regulus noticed his parents acting differently. They were kind to him (well, kind _er_ ), if a bit more wary and on edge than usual. Sirius was still in Gryffindor, despite the threatening letter Walburga Black had sent to the headmaster. They seemed to be scared they would lose their other son to the 'less worthy', too, and therefore tried to keep him content. But unlike his brother, Regulus had no desire at all to get sorted into Gryffindor. It was against everything he'd been brought up to. And they had always favored him, anyway: he'd been the centre of their attention, whereas Sirius had gotten all of the blame for everything. It was partly his own fault, for being so damn inconsiderate all the time. 

But Sirius had never been stupid – quite the opposite, actually. He was simply arrogant, but not in the same way his parents were. He was rebellious and while he had never done anything unforgivable, he had always been the worse-behaving son. 

That's partly why Regulus's childhood had been so easy. Although Sirius and him weren't as close as they had been as kids, the older boy had saved his brother from getting beaten on multiple occasions. Hitting wasn't an unforeseen thing in the Black family. Regulus had known about it even before _he_ had ever been hit. He saw the way Sirius flinched when their mother raised her hand to reach for something. He was five when he first noticed this – only months later he started flinching, too. 

And Sirius had got hit about a hundred times more than him – some of the times had deserved it, but not always. More often than not, he'd protected his younger brother. That's something Regulus would remember even when he was older and understood life better. If he ever understood life, really. 

One of his earliest memories of Sirius stood around the same subject. Regulus had just turned four, showing first proper signs of his magical abilities, as one usually does at that age. Of course, no wizard so young was able to contain their powers. They had been playing in the dining hall, running around and chasing each other – something they very rarely were allowed to do. Were _never_ allowed to do, in fact, unless their parents weren't watching. So when Sirius had jumped onto the table to get out of Regulus's reach, he had lost his temper and accidentally levitated one of Walburga's inherited antique vases, which had crashed down onto the floor next to Sirius. That's when their mother had rushed into the room, and Sirius had of course looked guilty. 

Regulus didn't confess, so Sirius got the blame for it. But Sirius didn't try to object, either; he simply accepted his faith and suffered the consequences, like the older brother he was. 

Regulus hated owing him like that. 

***

The weeks flew by; Grimmauld Place was quiet and boring and awfully uneventful. Regulus spent his days playing Wizard's Chess with Kreacher, their family's house elf, playing the piano and reading. 

He enjoyed poetry most of all – he had ever since he was a kid. Perhaps you learn to like the things you get pushed to do. But poems made him feel calm and meaningful, and that was something. No, it was everything, especially when the only company you had was an old house elf. Regulus liked Kreacher, he really did. He just simply wasn't the ideal playmate for a ten-year-old. 

November rolled around, and soon it was already Sirius' birthday. Regulus wondered whether he should buy him something, but in the end opted to just write 'Happy birthday, from Regulus' at the end of the letter their parents sent him. They also sent him a new set of fancy quills and some posh shoes, which Regulus thought were a bit too nice for school, but Sirius _had_ always been quite over-the-top. He imagined his brother prancing around in the shiny leather shoes, paired with his pajamas or something crazy like that, just to make a statement. 

And knowing the effect his brother had on people, Sirius would probably just create a new trend by doing so. He was hard to make fun of, Regulus had noted. It was possibly the fact that Sirius did everything with such confidence and determination, it left others no choice but to adore him. Or maybe it was his unbothered attitude towards anything but himself. Whichever it was, it was one of the reasons he pissed Regulus off. 

***

_Hey, Regulus_

_All going well here, lessons are boring. Transfiguration is cool._

_How are things back home? Hope Mum isn't too terrible for you.  
Just kidding, you're her favourite. No hard feelings. _

_Thanks for the birthday wishes._

_– Sirius  
_

_Hey, Sirius_

_Everything is fine here, if a bit dull. Mom's alright._

_It's your fault you're the least liked member of our family  
(Kreacher says hi). No hard feelings. _

_Wish you were back sooner._

_– Regulus  
_

_Regulus,_

_Fuck you. I'm way cooler than you, anyway._

_Narcissa says hey. I'm joking – I'm avoiding her. Working great so far._

_Going to detention now, don't tell Mum._

_Yours truly,  
Sirius Orion Black_

_To Sirius Orion Black,_  
_the stupidest brother one could possibly have._

_You better not come back wearing your house tie – Mom's fuming._

_She heard about your escapades, needless to say you'll be dead the second you walk in here._

_All the best,  
Regulus Arcturus Black  
_

_P.S. Kreacher actually says hi this time.  
They still like him more than you, though. _

***

Monday, 20th of December, 1971

They went to pick Sirius up from the train station for Christmas holiday. Regulus and his mother waited on the platform, and when the train finally arrived, a happy-looking boy jumped out of it, followed by three others. 

Sirius's smile faded when he spotted them in the distance. Regulus felt an uncomfortable twist in his stomach – was Sirius not at all happy to see him? The older boy mumbled something to his friends, then waved them goodbye and made his way to Regulus and Walburga. 

"Hey", he smiled at Regulus, clearly avoiding his mother's eyes. 

"Who are those boys?" she asked, first thing, casting disapproving glances at the three Gryffindors Sirius had been with only moments prior. 

"My friends", he mumbled, sounding like he wanted to change the subject. Walburga raised her brows, then turned around and started walking towards the exit. Sirius grinned at Regulus, then followed his mother out of the platform. 

Regulus felt relieved. Whilst being happy to see his brother again, he had dreaded the moment they'd actually have to go and pick him up. He had been afraid Sirius would have changed during his four months away, but he seemed to be pretty much his normal self – laid-back, if a little _too_ much, and still very much like Regulus remembered him. 

At least Gryffindor hadn't turned him into some commoner. 

***

Although still being the same old Sirius, Regulus did notice a few changes about him. He still had his signature haughty tone and dignified posture, but he used words Regulus had never heard before – must be some of his Muggle-born friends, he figured. 

Sirius didn't seem too happy to be back home. 

"I swear they said it's fine! Please, can I go?" 

Regulus furrowed his brows and jumped down the last set of stairs. Sirius was in the dining room talking with their mother; Regulus had heard their raised voices from upstairs. 

"Absolutely not", Walburga stated: "You are to stay here with your family. Christmas is a family holiday, you know that." 

"But–" 

"No buts! Now off you go, I've got other things to take care of." 

"Mom, please..." 

"Hush!" 

Sirius came into view. He glared at Regulus, standing behind the door. "What are you staring at?" 

"Why's she mad?" 

"Won't let me go to the Potters for Christmas", he scowled: "No idea why." 

"We've always spent Christmas as a family..." 

"You think that's going to last forever?" 

Regulus didn't answer. He supposed Sirius was right – nothing would last forever, if you really gave it some thought. "I guess not." 

"Yeah." 

"Want to play Chess?" 

Sirius smiled. "Yeah." 

***

Friday, 24th of December, 1971

Regulus sneaked into Sirius's bed before midnight, like he did every single year, ever since they were able to walk. It had started when they were still sharing a room, and continued even after they had both got their own. It had become a tradition for them to spend the last few minutes of Christmas Eve and the first minutes of Christmas Day together – one that Regulus didn't realize he would miss so deeply once it was gone. 

Sirius jumped up from his bed and pulled aside the loose floorboard that he and Regulus had discovered at the ages of four and five. They had used it to hide sweets from their mother ever since then, and were yet to be caught. This time, Sirius pulled out a large paper bag full of sweets and chocolate; some of it Regulus had never even seen. Sirius told him he and his friends had found a secret passageway that leads straight to Honeydukes, a sweets shop in Hogsmeade. "You'll have to figure it out for yourself once you're in Hogwarts", he grinned. 

They sat there on Sirius's bed, eating Chocolate Frog after Chocolate Frog. Sirius told him about all of the crazy adventures he had so far gotten into at school – inevitably leaving out some details. Regulus listened partly aghast, partly in awe. It all sounded so fun and so illicit at the same time. 

"There's a poltergeist in Hogwarts?" Regulus' eyes grew wide. 

Sirius grinned widely: "Yeah. He's brilliant, causes more trouble than the students combined – well, not anymore, wait until you hear about what we've done..." Regulus furrowed slightly. He wasn't sure he liked Sirius' increasing recklessness. His brother had never been composed, but he was a Black nonetheless. 

Regulus's trail of thought was interrupted by a muffled * _CLANG*_. The antique grandfather clock downstairs announced it was midnight. 

"Merry Christmas", Regulus smiled at his brother. 

"Merry Christmas", Sirius grinned back. 

They raised their Chocolate Frogs in the air and toasted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The text extract at the beginning of the chapter is from "Sonnet 14" by William Shakespeare.


	2. Summer, 1972

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fast forward to summer of 1972. Bellatrix gets married, Sirius gets in trouble and Regulus gets ready to go to Hogwarts.

Sirius returned from Hogwarts at the end of June. If he had been quite his normal self at Christmas, that was no longer true. His hair had grown even longer, his posture seemed to have changed, his enunciation wasn't as clear anymore (though other people could still probably hear his aristocrat background in the way he spoke). He might have seemed just normal to anyone else, like nothing had changed. But Regulus noticed a difference in everything Sirius did. The way he spoke, the way he carried himself, his smile, _everything_. At first, at least. As the first few weeks of July flew by, Sirius seemed to lose some of that twinkle in his eyes that had been there on the first day of summer holiday. 

Bellatrix got married that summer to Rodolphus Lestrange, although Regulus was certain it wasn't purely out of her own will. He doubted Rodolphus was entirely keen on marrying her either, but they did put up a good act. Maybe they thought it would be less painful if they pretended to love each other. 

The ceremony was far from exciting; Regulus found himself yawning more than was probably acceptable. At least he had Sirius with him – he whispered jokes to Regulus every now and then, grinning as Regulus tried not to laugh aloud. Walburga scolded them and eventually separated them. It was Regulus' first time attending a wedding, but he knew that normally the bride didn't wear a black dress – but then, Bellatrix wasn't really normal, was she? She looked beautiful, albeit not necessarily happy. She did wear a smile on her face, but Regulus could tell it was forced. Maybe she managed to fool some. 

He had met Rodolphus only once before, and he'd rather it had stayed that way. The man knew how to act polite, but that was nothing like actually _being_ polite. Regulus inwardly laughed at himself; he was no better, he too had taught himself to _act_ polite. At least he did it better than Lestrange. Regulus amused himself with the thought that if a stranger walked into the room, they'd probably think it was a funeral. The only people that seemed content were the bride and groom's parents. Narcissa looked jealous, Sirius looked unbothered. Regulus tried to keep his expression unreadable. Polite. 

They had dinner, they toasted the newlywed couple, they danced (the skill of ballroom dancing was highly valued in the House of Black), they chatted with other guests, both of the couple's families trying to give the best impression of themselves possible. It was boring, of course, but what else could you expect? It was a wedding. 

The rest of the evening might have gone to plan if Sirius didn't hate Bellatrix. But he did, so something was bound to happen. 

Bellatrix came to ask Regulus to dance with her. Having no other choice, he got up from his chair at once. He could have politely declined, had she not been the bride. And had he not been frightened of her. 

"What are _you_ looking at?" she raised her chin at Sirius: "I'm not asking _you_ to dance, so don't get your hopes up, cousin." 

Sirius snorted. "As if I'd _want_ to touch you." 

Bella narrowed her eyes and gave him the deadliest stare imaginable. Sirius didn't flinch, which Regulus found impressive. "You're just like Andromeda", she hissed: "Don't understand your own best, hanging around all those filthy Muggle-borns..." 

"Speaking of Dromeda", Sirius leaned back on his chair, lifting his feet onto the table: "She wrote me a letter. Said she was happier than ever, with Ted and all, you know. At least _she_ was brave enough to marry who she wanted." 

That was enough, Regulus could see it in Bellatrix's eyes. She whipped out her wand, pointing it directly at Sirius. The other guests were too caught up in meaningless conversations to notice. Sirius stood up too, pointing his own wand at the bride. Regulus watched in terror. 

Bellatrix laughed haughtily: "Oh, cousin! I don't think you're allowed to do magic outside of school, little boy..." She stepped closer to him, tilting her head and looking at Sirius like he was a little kid: "Now, why don't you put your wand down and– AHHH!" Everyone turned to look. The wedding cake had blown up, covering its surroundings with cream and sponge cake. Bellatrix turned to look at Sirius furiously, her dress stained with white cake cream. 

Sirius had sat back down and was yet again leaning back casually, an innocent look on his face. Regulus didn't know whether to laugh or hex his brother right then and there. It was a rude prank, but the ceremony _had_ been getting rather dull by that point. 

"I'm going to kill you", Bellatrix hissed furiously, stepping closer to Sirius, her chest rising and falling heavily: "I know this was your doings, you filthy blood-traitor..." 

Walburga stormed to them, looking almost as angry as Bellatrix. She yanked Sirius up from the chair and whispered something to him. Regulus saw a flash of fear in his brother's eyes. 

They left shortly after that, but not before Orion Black had deeply apologized for his son's behaviour for about twenty times. 

***

Sirius was grounded for the rest of the summer, which Regulus thought wasn't too bad of a punishment. They denied him a few meals, too, but other than that, Sirius got away easily. He'd insisted it hadn't been any of his doing, but Walburga didn't buy it ("Cakes do not just blow up by themselves, you foolish boy!"). 

The remainder of Regulus' summer holiday was affected by this, too – he was still allowed to leave the house, but didn't have much to do without Sirius. He did find a few good spots for reading, and read through his school books before the start of semester. He even read through his Herbology book, which he didn't find the least bit interesting. They were Sirius' old books, which Regulus found a bit weird. He'd never had to use hand-me-downs before, but apparently Walburga thought it was pointless to buy books they already had at home. 

A few days before school started, he went to Diagon Alley with his mother (Sirius of course wasn't allowed to come) to get the remainder of his supplies. He got new robes, quills, parchment, a cauldron, basic potion supplies and a pair of protective gloves. The last thing he needed to get was his wand – the only thing he really cared about. They entered Ollivanders and were greeted by an old, funny-looking man. He got up from his seat and walked to the other side of his desk. 

"Walburga", he shook her hand: "Back so soon? Only last year you were here with young Sirius! Clever boy, I could tell the second he walked into my shop... ah! And who are you, my boy?" He crouched slightly, reaching his arm towards Regulus. 

"Regulus", he said, shaking his hand. 

The old man smiled: "Well, of course. Come to get your wand, then? A first-year, I assume?" 

"Yes." 

"Right. I would have recognized you, had you been here before... Alright, alright – yes, come here." 

Regulus followed him further into the shop. They were surrounded by shelves and shelves of narrow boxes, stacks of paper scattered all around. It was dusty and dark – he wondered if the old man knew any cleaning spells. 

"Hmm..." Ollivander ran his hand down one of the shelves: "A-ha! Yes, maybe..." He grabbed a box, opened it and handed the wand to Regulus, who observed it carefully. "Well? Give it a swing!" 

Regulus obeyed, flicking the wand in the air. It did absolutely nothing. "Eh, clearly not... No." Ollivander turned his back again, reaching for a box on the top shelf now. "Perhaps..." he turned the box in his hands: "Yes, give it a try... just like that." 

This time Regulus managed to knock down a pile of boxes, but Ollivander clearly wasn't satisfied. "Don't worry about that... mm– let's try something, yes." He hurtled to the other side of the shop and climbed up a ladder, searching for a specific box. He came back to the ground and handed it to Regulus. 

"I can't guarantee this is the one, Mr. Black, but it's worth a shot", he said, a meaningful look on his face. 

The wand felt warm in Regulus' hand – he lifted it in the air and gave it a swish. A trail of golden sparks emerged from the tip of the wand and turned into glittery rain mid-air, falling down and disappearing inches from the ground. Regulus felt goosebumps. Ollivander beamed: "Yes, very fascinating." 

Regulus frowned. He didn't know what was so fascinating. Ollivander seemed to be reading his mind. 

"Your brother's wand was made of Beech. Yours, on the other hand, is Cypress. These two are very different, indeed, but both of your wands have Dragon heartstring as the core."

Regulus stared at him. He still had no idea what was so fascinating about it. 

"However, it is from a breed of Dragon that does not usually provide heartstring suitable for wandmaking. What's fascinating is that you and your brother's wands' cores come from the same breed. The same individual, even." He kept a small pause, eyeing Regulus carefully: "This, of course, indicates a strong brotherly bond." 

Regulus nodded slowly. He was curious to ask about the breed of the Dragon in question, but Ollivander beat him to it. 

"The Hebridean Black." 

Ironic. 

***

"Well?" Sirius walked straight into Regulus's room after they had got back from Diagon Alley. Regulus was studying every curve of his new wand. He couldn't wait to use it, learn some real magic. 

"It's Cypress", Regulus said, looking up at Sirius, then hesitated: "Dragon heartstring." 

"Mine too!" Sirius smiled: "Dragon heartstring, I mean. Mine's Beech." 

"Yeah, he told me", Regulus nodded. 

"Ollivander?" Sirius raised his brows: "Gee, that man remembers anything." _Gee_. One of those words Sirius had started using since getting back from Hogwarts. "Why were you talking about my wand?" 

"Oh, I don't know", Regulus mumbled: "Just came up somehow, I think." He made a conscious choice not to tell Sirius what Ollivander had said. _A strong brotherly bond._ Sirius might laugh at that. Regulus thought it felt comforting, like there was something connecting Sirius and him, something that couldn't be broken. They were different in every way, Regulus knew that, but he didn't want to lose Sirius. He also didn't want Sirius to think he was being too sentimental, so he kept his mouth shut. 

"Got everything else then?" 

"Yeah", Regulus nodded at the pile of things sitting on his brand new mahogany trunk. 

"Nervous?" Sirius grinned. 

"I don't know", Regulus shrugged: "Not really." Yes he was. Mostly about the sorting. He knew how it happened, his cousins had told him, but he was scared he'd get sorted into the wrong house. He wanted to be in Slytherin. He needed to be in Slytherin. 

"What are you thinking about?" Sirius sat down at the end of his bed. Regulus shook his head. 

"Nothing. Just school." 

"The sorting ceremony?" 

Regulus shrugged. 

"Mom hasn't... she hasn't given you a rough time about it?" Sirius's eyes were suddenly full of worry: "'Cause I know how that feels like and... well, look at me now, I'm in Gryffindor and I'm still here." He laughed lightly. "You'll be fine." 

"I don't want to be in Gryffindor", Regulus scowled. 

"Mm", Sirius stood up, eyes a little colder now: "Doubt you'd get there with that attitude anyway." He turned around and made it to the door. 

"Sirius?" 

"What?" 

Regulus shook his head. "Nothing." 

The worried look was back on Sirius's face. "Okay." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garrick Ollivander on wand-woods: 
> 
> "The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant." 
> 
> "Cypress wands are associated with nobility. The great medieval wandmaker, Geraint Ollivander, wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death."
> 
> Just a little explanation as to why I chose those specific wands for Sirius and Regulus. :)


	3. First Year: Hogwarts

Friday, 1st of September, 1972

"Goodbye, dear", Walburga hugged Regulus; not as enthusiastically as some of the other students' mothers did, but it was a hug nonetheless. She nodded at Sirius, and then she left.

"I won't come near your Gryffindor friends", Regulus said to his brother the second they boarded the train. Had to make that clear right away.

"Good", Sirius replied coolly and disappeared into one of the compartments. Regulus grabbed the handle of his trunk and dragged it to the end of the train, where he found a compartment with only two students in it. He opened the door and glanced warily at the boy and the girl sitting opposite to each other.

"Hello", the girl greeted him cheerfully. She had bright red hair and was reading a book that Regulus didn't recognize – possibly by a Muggle author, the thought of which made him wince. 

"Hello", he replied and backed out of the compartment, heading in the direction he had come from. He didn't want to sit with someone who could possibly be related to a Muggle. _Someone_ had to uphold the Blacks' reputation. 

Much to his dismay, all of the other compartments seemed either too full or too loud, so he had no choice but to go back. He opened the cabin door again and looked at the two students over his nose.

"You can sit with us if you want", the girl said kindly. Regulus nodded shortly and sat as far away from her as possible.

"I'm Lily", she smiled and gestured towards the other boy: "This is Severus."

Regulus nodded again, eyeing the quiet boy warily. He had long, black, disgustingly greasy hair. "What's your name?" the girl pressed. _She would not shut up, would she?_

"Regulus Black."

The greasy-haired boy finally lifted his gaze, a curious look on his face.

"Please don't tell me you're related to Sirius Black?" Lily asked, eyes wide. 

"Yeah, I am. He's my brother", Regulus mumbled, wanting more than anything for the conversation to be over. He glared at the two pairs of eyes staring at him. 

"Oh, okay", Lily forced a smile on her face: "This your first year?"

"Yes", he replied bluntly. _Shut up, already._

"Oh, cool! Good luck with the sorting, then", she nodded. 

"Thanks."

The rest of the train journey was pure hell. Thankfully the girl finally ran out of things to say, so Regulus got his peace, but he still loathed his company. When the train stopped, he climbed out as fast as he could and made a mental note never to speak to her again.

***

The castle was huge, bigger than Regulus had thought. It was almost entirely stone and dark wood, with harnesses and paintings adorning the narrow corridors. He couldn't see how somebody could call it home. Sirius had, a few times. He'd said it felt more like home than Grimmauld Place ever had. Regulus didn't understand him, he never would.

They were led into a small and stuffy room by an old-looking witch. She vaguely reminded him of Walburga – only this woman was taller and had kinder eyes. But they shared the same strict expression.

"Regulus!" he heard a voice come from somewhere behind him. He turned around to see Icarus Nott wave at him, Caius Avery at his side. Regulus knew them vaguely since they were family friends – the traditional Black family Christmas Eve dinner wasn't really just for family. Regulus nodded at them and watched them walk over. 

"Guess we're going to be dorm mates", Avery raised his brows at the two of them. Regulus nodded, Nott shrugged. 

"Maybe." 

"Oh, come on", Avery rolled his eyes: "You'll get into Slytherin, I know you will. Your whole family's been there. Same with you, Black." 

Regulus stiffened and glanced between him and Nott. Avery looked oblivious, but Nott was giving Regulus an apologetic look. "Yeah, whatever", Regulus mumbled. They all fell quiet after that. 

They waited some minutes before being called into another room. This one was about fifty times larger, there were four long tables decorated with each of the house colours, and hundreds of students dressed in all black. Regulus spotted Sirius at the Gryffindor table, but he was speaking with a boy wearing round glasses and didn't look up.

They were asked to sit on a stool and try on an old, shabby hat, each in their turn. Regulus had heard of the stupid tradition from Bellatrix and Narcissa. As if a decrepit hat knew where his heart and soul truly belonged. Having no other choice, Regulus stepped forward when his name was called. The hat was placed on his head; it dropped over his eyes, pressing down his dark curls. His body stiffened as the hat started speaking in a soft voice. "Come here to follow your brother's footsteps, have you?" it said leisurely.

_Never_ , Regulus thought to himself.

"Didn't think so, no", the hat replied: "It is obvious that your heart desires to be in... SLYTHERIN!" Regulus sighed in relief. The table on the far right burst into applause and Regulus walked his way over, holding his head high. He glanced sideways at Sirius, but his eyes were set on the empty plate in front of him.

Arrogant traitor. He'd show him.

***

Regulus's first few weeks at Hogwarts were filled with lessons, homework, obnoxious small-talk and avoiding Sirius. He managed pretty well for a week or so, but he knew he'd have to get used to seeing his brother and his prick friends around – they _were_ in the same school, after all. ("Your brother's in Gryffindor?" Avery had asked when the matter had come up in a conversation: "A Black in _Gryffindor_? Fuck, your parents must have been proud." He made a face at that last word.) 

Regulus enjoyed Charms and Potions the most. Transfiguration was okay, but it was Sirius's favourite. The Potions Master, Horace Slughorn, was a right pain-in-the-ass. He was pompous and absent-minded, but skilled at his job nevertheless. And he was one of the only teachers that seemed to like Regulus – he'd been keen on him since the very first lesson, which was no surprise, given that Regulus had been the only one to prepare a successful Forgetfulness Potion.

"Black, did you say? Not son of Orion, are you?" he said afterwards, before Regulus could make it out the door.

"Yes, professor", he replied.

"Ah, well of course you are! Noble man, he is..." Slughorn smiled fondly: "I was of course thrilled to get you – in my house, I mean."

Regulus nodded, wondering whether he was supposed to say 'thank you' or not. He decided not to. He was about to say goodbye and leave, but the professor opened his mouth again.

"I wish I had gotten your brother, too... Sirius is one of my cleverest students, albeit I have to say that he's too facetious for his own good."

Regulus shifted uncomfortably. He ought to have guessed everyone would be talking about Sirius – the perfectly charming yet witty second-grade student from one of Britain's eldest wizarding families. Who _wouldn't_ talk about him? Regulus groaned inwardly. 

And as he left the classroom, he bumped into no other than Sirius and his three Gryffindor friends. Just his luck. 

"Hey", Sirius said, slightly surprised. He eyed at the empty Potions classroom behind Regulus. "What were you doing there?" 

"Slughorn wanted to talk", Regulus replied bluntly. 

"Oh, okay", Sirius narrowed his eyes, but only momentarily. The boy with the round glasses stepped forward; James Potter, Regulus had learnt during his very first days at the school. He seemed to be as liked as Sirius. 

"I don't think we've properly met", he said, reaching out his hand: "James." 

Regulus eyed him warily, but took his hand and shook it anyway: "Regulus." The other two boys – Lupin and Pettigrew – didn't show any signs of wanting to introduce themselves, so Regulus stepped back and only nodded at them. "I should go", he cleared his throat: "Transfiguration." 

And so he left, leaving the others in the empty corridor in the dungeon, and headed towards the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall was a surprise. She was punctual and didn't fuss over nonsense, which Regulus appreciated. She was of course head of Gryffindor house, which is why Regulus kept it to himself that she was, in fact, his favourite teacher.

The flying lessons were boring. He'd learned to fly at the age of four and would have been ready for the team the second he stepped inside that castle, but some stupid rule ordered that he wouldn't be able to try out until second year. Their loss.

And as for the other Slytherins, Regulus still hadn't made up his mind. Icarus Nott turned out to be a rather fun guy to be around. The blonde boy was good-humoured and easygoing, but still well-mannered. They shared their room with Caius Avery and Evan Rosier, who too were family friends. They were a bit more serious, but Regulus didn't mind. Each of their families were part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, which made him feel at ease.

And as for the girls, Emma Vanity was the only Slytherin their age that Regulus tolerated – at least she didn't giggle at everything and talked about normal stuff, not just boys, like the other girls did. Lucinda Talkalot, Penny Florence and Martha Gaunt were the other three Slytherin first-grade girls, but Regulus tried to steer clear of them. Too much whispering and giggling. 

Then there was Severus Snape and his dumb but loyal 'friend' Garrick Mulciber. They were big bullies, but Regulus wasn't afraid of them. He had heard somewhere that Snape was half-blood, so at least Regulus had something to hold over him if it came to that. And Mulciber was plain stupid. 

***

Monday, 18th of September, 1972

"Reg!" Sirius's voice came from somewhere behind him. Regulus turned around to see his brother jogging towards him, his long hair falling over his face. "Did you have to tell them?" he spat out, eyes full of rage.

"Tell who what?" Regulus furrowed his brows.

"I received a Howler from our dear mother this morning", Sirius gritted his teeth, "scolding me about being friends with 'blood-traitors' and 'dregs of the wizarding society'. Happen to have any idea who's behind this?!"

Regulus shook his head, scoffing. "I really don't", he folded his arm. But then it hit him. "Narcissa", he mumbled. 

Sirius lifted his gaze, then huffed: "She was here last year, too. It's funny how they found out within two weeks of _you_ arriving. Besides, why would Narcissa only tell them now?"

"Maybe she thought you'd come to your senses, eventually", Regulus shrugged: "Which you obviously _haven't_."

"Stop making excuses, you cowardly prat", Sirius growled: "Just admit it was you!"

"I really don't care who you hang out with!" he snapped: "Stop thinking too much of yourself!" He of course loathed his brother's friends, but there was nothing he could really do about it. Yes, telling his parents had been an option, but he didn't want to get Sirius in any more trouble than he already was. Besides, what did they expect? Of course he hung out with other Gryffindors.

"Just stay out of my way, will you?" Sirius mumbled and shoved him aside as he stormed off.

Regulus slowly made his way back to the dungeons and bumped into no other than Narcissa as he stepped into the common room. "There's my favourite cousin", she smiled her signature haughty smile: "How are you finding Hogwarts, teddy?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. His cousins had been calling him teddy for years now, all because of something that had happened when he was three. He had been very emotionally attached to his teddy bear, and his world was crushed when he found out his mother had burnt it as a punishment for something he'd done.

"Drop it, Cissy", he mumbled: "And please tell Sirius that it was you who told Mum about Potter and the others. He's after me, now."

Narcissa let out a self-satisfied laugh. "Oh, Reg. Your mother was quite disappointed when she heard who they were... More so because _you_ hadn't told her", she tossed her hair: "But worry not, I covered for you, teddy. Said you didn't know how to use the Owlery."

"Thanks", Regulus blurted sarcastically. How stupid did his parents think he was?

"Stay out of trouble, cousin", Narcissa ruffled his hair and walked off, leaving Regulus stand alone in the stone-walled room.

Regulus rolled his eyes and headed for the dorms. _Teddy_. He'd never hear the end of that, especially not from Narcissa. He preferred her over Andromeda, but the way she made him feel like a little kid was truly annoying. Bellatrix was his favourite (not that he ever dared tell the sisters he had one). Sure, she was a bit mad, but at least she treated him like a grown-up. She didn't embellish anything or talk to him like he was a clueless child.

Andromeda was a story of her own. Regulus had actually liked her and thought she was cool until she married that Muggle-born dude, Tonks. She had been disowned and Regulus hadn't heard from her since, but he was pretty sure she still kept in touch with Sirius. The two always shared a sort of connection, Andromeda and Sirius. Maybe they had known all along that they were the outcasts of the Black family – alongside uncle Alphard, of course, but he was rarely mentioned, anyway.

The others were already in the dorm, preparing to go to sleep. Regulus sighed and flung himself onto his bed, which the house elves had apparently made. It made Regulus think of Kreacher back home, alone in the big house with no one but Orion and Walburga as company. 

"Black, did you already write that Transfiguration essay?" Avery was asking from his bed. Regulus rolled onto his back and glanced at him across the room. 

"Yeah, returned it today", he smirked. Avery groaned. 

"Guess I'll have to actually do it myself, then", he sighed dramatically and reached for his bookbag. 

"You can always copy mine", Rosier said from his bed where he was flicking through a Quidditch magazine. 

Avery narrowed his eyes and bit his lip thoughtfully. "Yeah, no", he smiled: "Not after you managed to turn that rat bald instead of turning it into a rubber duck." The others burst out laughing at the memory of that. 


	4. First Year: House Pride

"This is madness", Nott gasped, shaking his head as he looked around the Great Hall. It was a sea of green and red: the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. One of the things Regulus had been most looking forward to at Hogwarts. The tension in the Great Hall was indescribable.

The Gryffindors were shouting nasty slurs at the Slytherin team, and vice versa. It looked comical, really, seeing people so divided between the two teams. It was either green or red today. Mostly red, Regulus now noticed. He himself had opted for a green jumper: it was early October, but the weather was still warm enough. 

Avery turned out to be as much a Quidditch fan as he was, although he confessed to not enjoying playing as much as watching. Regulus was the complete opposite – he liked watching, sure, but would much have rather been on the broomstick himself. Maybe next year. Definitely next year.

The teachers were dressed in neutral colours to indicate their impartiality, but Slughorn was wearing a showy silvery hat. He looked ridiculous. Regulus scoffed and turned back to his breakfast. 

"I might just bunk off", Nott eyed the others slyly. He knew their reaction. 

"Oh no you won't!" Avery slapped his arm: "You can't just skip a Quidditch match! That's against the school rules."

"No it's not", Nott laughed and slapped him back. 

"Well, it _should_ be."

"Yeah, come on, Nott", Rosier stepped in: "It's only one game, you'll survive. Besides, don't you want to see the Gryffindors get their asses beaten?"

"Not really", Nott grinned teasingly. 

"Are you even a Slytherin?" Avery sighed dramatically.

"Shut it, Avery", he laughed: "I'd rather be in Gryffindor, if it meant I didn't have to hang out with you lot. I'm joking, _I'm joking_!" He ducked as Regulus turned around on his seat to give him a proper kick on the shin. 

They made their way to the pitch after breakfast, Nott included. 

"Let's sit there", Avery pointed at the highest row of seats in a stand full of Slytherins. The boys climbed their way over and sat down to wait. The match begun shortly, both playing teams marching onto the pitch in a dignified manner. Every single person in the stands either cheered or booed – the atmosphere was through the roof. Regulus felt genuinely happy for the first time in ages.

Something red and gold caught his eye in the stands across from them – a sheet so big that Regulus could easily read the text on it from the opposite end of the field. 'GO POTTER – THE SOON-TO-BE LEGEND OF GRYFFINDOR'. Regulus didn't have to guess twice to know who was holding it.

Narcissa was on Slytherin's team, a Chaser. Regulus had known this beforehand, but was still awestruck watching her fly. Her movements were gracious and smooth, and she didn't hesitate at any point of the game. Everybody knew she was ruthless and headstrong. _A true Black_ , Regulus thought to himself.

Gryffindor won, much to the delight of Sirius and his friends – he cast a winning grin at Regulus as he threw an arm around Potter. Regulus ignored him and walked back to the castle with Nott and Avery and Rosier, who were now much less joyous than at breakfast. 

"What a shitty start to the season", Avery mumbled. 

"Cheer up, boys", Nott grinned and shoved Regulus playfully: "It's only one game."

***

Gryffindor's elation about the victory did not cease over the next few days. In fact, it seemed that they continued their celebrations far longer than should have been acceptable. Regulus even found himself agreeing with Nott – it was only Quidditch, after all. But Slytherin's defeat sparked a new kind of appreciation towards the Gryffindor team – one that Regulus thought was unnecessary. 

And to top it off, Sirius walked around making way for Potter, chanting things like 'Watch out, the king of Gryffindor is coming!' and 'Road for the royalty!' around the corridors. It pissed Regulus and the rest of the Slytherins off; some of the older students tried to hex them out of the blue, but with little success. They seemed invincible. 

The tip of the iceberg, however, came on Wednesday. The win on Saturday had definitely boosted the whole house's confidence, and having the reputation of the school pranksters, Sirius and his posse just couldn't refuse the temptation – it was the perfect time for a prank, after all. 

It all started Wednesday morning, when the students were gathering for breakfast in the Great Hall as per usual. Regulus didn't know how they'd done it, but somehow full breakfast only appeared on the Gryffindor table's plates; the Hufflepuffs got everything except for the warm foods, while Ravenclaws had to manage with nothing but porridge. 

Staring at the single glass of water in front of him, Regulus would have done anything for a plateful of porridge. 

"I'm gonna kill him", he mumbled as he pushed the glass further away from himself. All or nothing, then – he wasn't going to do anything to please the Gryffindors. 

"And we've got History of Magic next", Avery sighed, leaning onto his elbows: "That's going to be even worse now." 

"If possible", Rosier grumbled. 

It _was_ worse. And as they arrived for lunch a few hours later, they were in for another surprise: this time, all of the tables in the Great Hall had disappeared, including the teachers' table. Dumbledore, who Regulus was sure could have easily reconjured the furniture, looked rather elated. They ate lunch on the floor that day. ("Well, at least we get to _eat_ ", Nott shrugged, sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor.) 

And as for dinner, everything seemed perfectly normal at first – this of course wasn't the case, as Regulus successfully predicted. Midway through the meal, about fifty harnesses marched in through the wooden doors, settling themselves around the four tables. They had to listen to the Gryffindor anthem for the rest of the meal, and on top of it all, the prank seemed to extend beyond the walls of the Great Hall: the Slytherin common room no longer represented the house colours. Instead, everything was red and gold, from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. 

Needless to say, it was the worst day imaginable for everyone but the Gryffindors. 

***

"Black! Wake up!" Avery pulled aside the curtains around Regulus' bed. The light leaked in and he had to cover his face with his arm. 

"Fuck off", he muttered, pulling his duvet up. The cool air of the room made goosebumps rise on his skin. 

"Get up! We're planning revenge." 

Regulus lowered his arm and opened one eye to look at Avery. "Revenge?" 

"Yeah, on the Gryffindors!" Avery looked extremely excited; it made Regulus irritated, especially at this time of the day. He sighed. 

"Can't we plan it later on? Is it even six yet?" he groaned, covering his face with his pillow. 

"Six thirty", Avery nodded: "Get up!" 

Regulus reluctantly clung himself up and peeked through his curtain. Nott was sitting on the edge of his own bed, looking just as annoyed as Regulus felt. He lifted his head up from his hands and grinned at Regulus. "These two are mental." 

"Tell me about it", Regulus yawned and got out of bed, throwing on a t-shirt and some trousers. "Well? What are you thinking?" He had never really enjoyed pranking, not like his brother anyway, but the Gryffindors had been getting on his nerves lately. They deserved a taste of their own medicine. 

"We were thinking", Avery gestured at himself and Rosier, "we should do something today. It's the weekend, they won't suspect anything." 

"Yeah, alright", Nott came to sit next to Regulus on his bed: "But _what_ exactly are we going to do?" Regulus looked at the two, expectantly. It was a good question, one that he wanted to know the answer to, too. 

"Well, we haven't exactly got that far yet..." Rosier smirked and glanced at Avery. Regulus and Nott groaned at the same time. 

"This is what you woke us up for?" 

"Exactly!" Avery stepped in: "We need your help – Black, isn't your brother like the king of pranks?" 

"Yeah, I suppose", Regulus glared at him: "Doesn't mean _I_ am, though." 

"Better get to work then, eh?" he nudged him: "All ideas are welcome!" 

An hour later, the best idea they had come up with was levitating all their shoes up to the ceiling of the Great Hall, but that seemed a bit too tame and easy-to-fix. Nott was snoozing against Regulus' bed frame, snoring gently. Regulus fought the urge to mute him with a spell. 

"That's it!" he quickly straightened up, making Nott jump awake and hit his head against the wooden bed frame. 

"Ouch!" he flinched: "Blimey, fuck _me_..." He rubbed the top of his head, glaring at Regulus. 

"Got an idea?" Avery asked eagerly, leaning forward. 

"Yes!" Regulus nodded: "Or I mean, it _should_ work..." 

"Well, go on then!" Rosier sat up, too. 

"Well, you know how you can mute someone?" Regulus said, glancing at Nott: "Or make them speak nonstop, I've heard about that, too... Anyway, surely you can _change_ someone's voice, too, right?" 

"What?" Rosier frowned. 

"You know", Regulus shrugged impatiently: "Change their voice to sound like someone else's." 

"Yes", Avery breathed, eyes wide and excited: "Yes!" 

"What, we're just going to make all the students sound like Slughorn?" Nott raised a brow, amused. 

"Exactly!" Regulus clapped his hands together: "Or like McGonagall or– or Dumbledore!" 

Nott laughed: "That would be quite brilliant, wouldn't it?" 

"It's decided, then!" Rosier grinned: "We could do each of the houses differently, too... Have the Gryffindors talk like Slughorn, bet that would be fun." 

"Can we give the Slytherins McGonagall, then?" Avery laughed. The others nodded. 

"Not us, though", Regulus smirked. He wasn't going to talk like her for the rest of the day. 

"Okay, who else..." Nott bit his lip. "What about... OH– I know! Let's give the Hufflepuffs Filch." 

"Good one!" Avery clapped his hands together: "And then Dumbledore for the Ravenclaws, right? Or professor Binns, bet they'd love that one..." 

And so they begun. The incantation itself wasn't difficult – all they had to do was focus really hard on the person they wanted the other person to mimic. They tested it on each other a few times, before finally perfecting the spell. 

They were hardly able to contain their laughter at breakfast, having hexed Nott to speak like Rubeus Hagrid. Regulus didn't remove the spell until after they were back in their dorm; Nott gave him a proper punch in the ribs for that. 

They decided to put the plan in action at dinner. If the four boys had been excited in the morning, it was nothing compared to how they were feeling now – if the plan worked, it would be an incredible prank. Regulus almost understood why Sirius loved the thrill of it. 

They waited until everyone was in the Great Hall – they wanted to make sure they wouldn't miss _anyone_. 

"Ready?" Regulus whispered, and they all pulled out their wands, pointing them in different directions under the table; they all had one house to hex. "Go!" They all cast the incantation simultaneously, and then pricked up their ears to hear the results. And it was better than they'd expected. 

Suddenly, a hundred McGonagalls started speaking around them; from the other tables they heard the voices of Argus Filch, professor Binns and Slughorn. Confused muttering filled the whole room as students begun to notice their renewed voices – some of them look horrified, others started laughing at each other. This made the whole situation even more chaotic – Regulus was surprised by the voice of professor McGonagall's laughter, which now erupted from all around him. 

The teachers on the other side of the room looked very much confused, as well. McGonagall stared at the Slytherin table, where her voice was booming from; Slughorn's expression was something between amused and perplexed. Filch didn't seem to have noticed, and neither did professor Binns, until some Ravenclaw shouted at the top of their lungs: "THIS IS HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN HE SPEAKS UP!" 

The whole of the Great Hall burst into laughter, but only four voices were heard. 

And to make the prank an even bigger success, the students' voices still hadn't returned back to normal by the time lessons begun on Monday. Everyone of course knew who was behind it – only four students were able to speak normally, without everyone around them starting to giggle hysterically. And hearing Argus Filch giggle hysterically wasn't something you'd ever expect to experience. Or _hope_ to experience, really. 

And luckily enough, they didn't even get detention – as the head of their House, Slughorn was responsible for their punishments, but he found the whole thing hilarious. "I'd leave it like this, if I could!" he boomed as the four boys were standing in front of him in his office, waiting to be scolded: "But tell that to no one, my boys!" He winked at them and let them go. 

"Can you believe it?" Avery laughed as they made their way back to the common room: "A prank this successful and _no consequences_?" 

"I know, right!" Rosier shook his head: "Brilliant of you, Black!" He slapped Regulus on the shoulder. He couldn't help but grin – despite trying not to let it show, he was extremely proud about it. 

They had just stepped in through the entrance when someone bumped straight into Regulus. He looked up and folded his arm. 

"There you are!" an angry-looking Severus Snape greeted them, his voice still the perfect replica of that of McGonagall's: "You'll regret this, just so you know!" The four boys looked at each other and burst into laughter. They couldn't stop until they had reached their dorm, and Regulus went to bed that night feeling happier than ever before. 


	5. First Year: Halloween

Regulus woke up in the morning to a sudden burst of light as Avery ripped apart his bed curtains. It was the weekend and Regulus had hoped to get a lie-in, not to be woken up at dawn. But when had luck ever been on his side? 

"What?" he grumbled, pulling his quilt up: "Boundaries, you idiot." 

"Sorry, no time", Avery grinned, already on the opposite side of the room, rummaging through his trunk: "We're going flying!" 

Regulus frowned, hoisting himself onto his elbows. "With what?" he asked. First-years weren't allowed to bring their brooms; Regulus' beloved Nimbus 1700 was waiting for him at home. 

"The school brooms", Avery beamed, now tying his shoelaces: "Get up!" 

"I don't think we're allowed to–" 

"We're _borrowing_ them, not stealing them..." 

"Fine", he sighed, getting up. A morning Quidditch session didn't sound too shabby – actually, Regulus couldn't wait to be back on a broom and fly properly, not just small circles under the observation of young Madam Hooch. "But if we get caught, I was forced into this against my own will." 

"Yeah, yeah", Avery said easily, leaning against the door frame: "Can you be a little faster?" 

"Can you two shut up?" Nott's voice came from behind his closed bed curtains. 

" _You_ shut up and _get_ up", Avery shouted back: "You're coming with us, now that you're awake – Rosier?" 

No reply. 

"All right, that's a no." 

"I don't even like Quidditch", Nott poked his head out through the drapery. 

"I don't care", Avery smirked: "We'll make you like it – chop chop!" 

Fifteen minutes later the three of them were walking towards the Quidditch pitch in the golden autumn morning light. It was nice out, cool and crisp. The sky was clear – perfect for a bit of flying, in Regulus's opinion. 

Much to the boys' elation, it seemed that the broom shed wasn't too closely guarded – a simple _Alohomora_ got them in, and in a few minutes all of them were up in the sky – Nott slightly closer to the ground, trying his best not to fall off his broom. 

Regulus enjoyed the cold air slamming against his face as he circled in the air. Living in a Muggle neighbourhood, he rarely got the chance to take his broom out for a ride back home – which was stupid, in his opinion, if he ever wanted to make the team. 

Regulus and Avery took to racing the length of the pitch back and forth while Nott levitated below them. They did round after round, Regulus beating him by just seconds. Avery then started throwing pine cones and stones in the air for Regulus to catch, and they made a game of who could get the most artful catch. Nott was watching them from below, suggesting every five minutes that they get back. 

"Can we go?" he shouted up at them after they'd been flying around for a good half-hour. 

"Come on!" Avery laughed and flew to him, ready to give instructions and get the boy up in the air. Regulus left them to it and flew higher, circling the pitch well above the stands. It was freeing. Like therapy, but without all the talking and self-reflection. 

"ICARUS!" Avery's loud shout brought Regulus back to consciousness. He glanced down and much to his terror saw Nott lying on the frosty grass, his limbs all tangled up, broom next to him. They flew down quickly, Avery and him, and looked at each other in terror. 

"What're we going to do?" Avery asked, his mouth ajar, eyes wide. 

"We have to take him to the Hospital Wing", Regulus said, pulling out his wand. He had mastered the levitation charm on their second lesson, he could do it in his sleep. Only he had never had to use it on a person before. Well, first time for everything–

" _WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU BOYS DOING_?!" 

They turned around in an instant; Madam Hooch was striding towards them from the other end of the field, her eyes fixed on the unconscious Icarus Nott on the ground. Her yellow eagle eyes were a terrifying sight on a regular day, but right now they were simply deadly. 

"Move aside", she said strictly and kneeled beside Nott. She pulled out her wand and conjured a stretcher, then levitated Nott's limp body onto it: "Professor Slughorn's office, right now." 

"But professor–" 

"No buts!" 

"Is he–?" 

"He'll be fine, I'm sure", Madam Hooch said impatiently, taking longs strides as the two boys jogged to keep up with her: "Professor Slughorn will see you. Immediately." 

And so they walked back to the castle, sheepishly, after returning the brooms to the shed. Professor Slughorn was indeed in his study waiting for them. He looked grave, but not as grave as Madam Hooch, thankfully. "Well, well, boys", he shook his head, eyes closed: "Booked a private flying session, did you?" 

Regulus and Avery both looked at the ground. They were keen to get it over with, they wanted to go and see Nott. 

"Your actions may have led into some serious injuries – thankfully Mr Nott didn't fall from higher", he continued, then cleared his throat: "Detention for both of you. Two weeks, I'm sure Argus will take care of that." 

The boys nodded. "Sorry, professor", Avery said. 

"We all make mistakes", Slughorn said, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes: "Next time be more careful – not that there should be a next time, of course!" 

"We promise", Regulus nodded quickly. Slughorn slapped his hands together and leaned back in his chair. 

"That's that, then. Go back to your room, boys, and no more of these... escapades." 

"Thank you, professor." 

"Thank you, sir." 

They left the study quickly and began striding straight towards the Hospital Wing. They didn't say a word to each other until they arrived at the door. 

"Reckon he's allowed visitors?" 

"I don't know", Regulus shrugged: "You think he's awake?" 

Avery shrugged back. Regulus knocked on the door. Madam Pomfrey, the school's strict but kind-looking healer came to open the door, eyeing them both with her brows lifted. "What do you think you're doing here, Mr Black, Mr Avery?" she asked, as if she didn't know. The boys glanced at each other. Regulus cleared his throat. 

"We're here to see– um, Nott." 

The healer tutted. "He's still unconscious, I'm afraid, and needs his rest." 

"Please, Madam..." Avery said sheepishly: "We um– it's our fault he's here." 

"Yes, so I have heard", she said, her mouth a strict line, but stepped aside nonetheless. "You can go see him, but only five minutes!" 

"Thank you, Madam", they said in unison and stormed past her. She smiled. 

Nott was indeed still knocked out cold; if his chest hadn't been rising with every breath he took, Regulus would have thought he was dead. His robes were dirty from lying on the ground and his hair was a mess, but he didn't seem to have any bigger injuries, at least nothing visible – there _was_ a bottle of Skele-Gro on the bedside table. 

"Shouldn't have forced him on a broom", Avery said, staring at Nott's peaceful face. 

Regulus smirked. "It's his fault he sucks." 

***

They came back after lunch to find Nott fully awake and his signature easy grin on his face. He wouldn't hear their apologies, and said that at least he got a free pass for the next couple of flying lessons, due to 'trauma caused by injury'. He didn't seem traumatized at all, though, but that didn't stop him from telling Madam Pomfrey that he didn't want to touch a broom for a while. She believed him credulously and chastised Regulus and Avery for causing such trouble for him. Nott held back his laughter until she was out of hearing distance. 

He got out of the Hospital Wing the same evening, and if you didn't know something had happened, you would have never guessed. Nott was completely his normal self, even making jokes about being a fallen angel, to which Regulus responded with a series of eye rolls. Rosier seemed a bit hurt that he had been left out, but only until he heard that they had two weeks of detention ahead of them, and with no other than the infamous Argus Filch. 

Regulus got a letter the next morning from Walburga Black – apparently their escapades hadn't gone unnoticed. She used words such as 'reckless', 'stupid' and 'like your brother', but nothing too bad. At least it was a normal letter, not a Howler, like the ones Sirius kept receiving. 

Detention started on Thursday. Regulus didn't mind – he'd had worse punishments. Though scrubbing cauldrons in Slughorn's classroom wasn't exactly the best way to spend two weeks, either. Especially not in the company he soon found he had been destined. 

"Reggie?" Sirius's voice came from the door. Regulus groaned inwardly and turned to face him. 

"Sirius." 

"What are you doing here?" he eyed the sponge Regulus was holding. 

"Detention." 

Sirius grinned. "You've got detention? _You_?" 

"Shut up", Regulus mumbled and turned back to his cauldron. Just his luck – why couldn't he be polishing harnesses with Avery? Now he had to listen to Sirius being a prat and teasing him about detention for _two whole weeks_. 

"What did you do?" he asked, smirking. Regulus sighed. Only Sirius Black would be proud of his brother for getting detention. 

"Just borrowed the school brooms", Regulus muttered as he wet the sponge and started scrubbing the foul-smelling green muck from inside a cauldron. Sirius walked over to him and leaned on the wall casually. Regulus glared up at him. 

"How did Mom react?" 

Regulus sighed. "She wasn't happy–" 

"Obviously." 

"–but she's heard of worse", he finished pointedly, cocking a brow at Sirius before glancing back down. The smell of the insides of the cauldron was making him sick, and he really didn't want that to happen in front of Sirius. Nor otherwise, really. 

"I suppose", Sirius mumbled, his voice now a little colder, as he reached for his own bucket and sponge. "So, you got caught?" he asked conversationally. Regulus scoffed. 

"No, we got a bad conscience and confessed", he glowered at Sirius, squeezing the sponge a bit more aggressively than he had intended to. Soapy water splashed onto the floor and his shoes, but he tried to pretend like nothing had happened. "Of course we got caught, that's why I'm here." 

"Fine, sorry for fucking asking", Sirius raised a brow: "Won't happen again." 

And it didn't: they worked in silence the rest of the time, until Filch came to let them out after three hours. Regulus walked back to the dungeons, feeling exhausted and ready to fall asleep on the spot. He yawned the whole journey from the common room up to the dorms, and crashed down on his bed. He faintly registered Avery coming in half an hour later, but he was too close to being knocked out cold to react. The last thought that he had was that he would never break any rules again, if it meant he could avoid two weeks of inevitable cauldron-scrubbing with his brother. 

***

Tuesday, 31st of October, 1972

The Great Hall looked unrecognizable when Regulus and his friends entered it on the night of Halloween. There were pumpkins, lanterns, skeletons (Regulus sincerely hoped those weren't real) and live bats (definitely real). Students were chatting excitedly about something called the Headless Hunt. 

"Why are the ghosts not here?" Avery frowned as he looked around: "Isn't this like, their time to shine or something?" 

"I'd be less concerned about the ghosts and more concerned about the _students_ who aren't here", Nott said as he dodged one skeleton propped up on the wall. They walked over to where they usually sat at meals, and Penny Florence waved her hand at them as they approached. Regulus fought not to roll his eyes. 

"Black, you can sit next to me", she smiled and scooted to the side to make more space. Regulus glanced at Nott and cleared his throat. 

"Um, okay", he muttered and glared at Nott and Avery, who had started tittering silently. 

Food appeared shortly after the headmaster had given a brief welcoming speech, and Regulus couldn't have been happier with the selection of delicacies in front of him – mashed potatoes, lamb, pork chops, gravy, roast vegetables, bread, and for dessert, pumpkin pasties and chocolate mousse. He loaded his plate to the brim and spent the rest of dinner halfheartedly listening to Florence ramble about something next to him, while his attention was mostly placed on Nott and Avery, who were talking about the Chamber of Secrets, the existence of which nobody was sure of. 

"They say there's a monster in there", Avery looked around mysteriously: "Some kind of beast." 

"Reckon it's the Loch Ness Monster?" Nott raised a witty eyebrow, causing Penny to laugh. 

"The what?" Avery frowned: "Never heard of that one." 

"It's a Muggle tale", Penny explained: "Apparently there's a monster living in Loch Ness – or so Muggles believe." 

"Oh, well that's the Chamber of Secrets solved, then", Avery shrugged, making the others laugh. Regulus cocked an unimpressed eyebrow. 

The Headless Hunt turned out to be... exactly that. There was banging and shouts, and then a group of ghosts stormed into the Great Hall, tossing their cut off heads to each other and laughing vigorously. Some students screamed, the older ones laughed with the ghosts. It was chaotic for a minute, and then it was over. The ghosts and the horses vanished through the wall, and the Great Hall burst into applause. The atmosphere was through the roof. 

Until it wasn't, anymore. 

There was a screeching scream from outside the Great Hall. The cheering died out slowly, people stopped laughing, their smiles fading and turning into looks of terror. Dumbledore was up in a second, striding towards the main doors, McGonagall and Slughorn right behind him. They disappeared through the large wooden doors and left behind nothing but a deadly silence. Minutes passed by and students started whispering amongst themselves, glancing around furtively. "Do you think someone's dead?" Regulus heard someone whisper from the table behind him. "It might have been a werewolf", someone gushed. "But it couldn't be, it's not a Full Moon", another person shook their head. "Maybe it's the monster from the Chamber?" Avery suggested jokingly, but his eyes told differently: he looked terrified. 

Dumbledore came back to the doorway some moments later. "Prefects, lead your Houses into the common rooms", he said severely: "Immediately." 


End file.
